Tobacco lathing machine



July 19, 1955 J. 1 KRlsT 2,713,427

TOBACCO LATHING MACHINE Filed Feb. l0, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. :JOSEPH KIQ/57' O Y o e am QN E? Q July 19, 1955 J. L. KRlsT TOBACCO LATHING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. lO, 1955 4mmm. Gm,

V @Pm www July 19, 1955r J, KR|ST 2,713,427

TOBACCO LATHING MACHINE Filed Feb. lO, 1955 3 SheeS-Sheet 5 /O .so 30 F/G. 7v

1N VEN TOR. dE/DH L. KQ/ST TORNEY United States Patent O TOBACCO LATHING MACHINE Joseph L. Krist, Broad Brook, Conn.

Application February 10, 1953, Serial No. 336,075

14 Claims. (Cl. 214-55) This invention relates generally to tobacco lathing machines for automatically inserting laths through the stems of tobacco plants preparatory to suspending the harvested plants for drying and curing the tobacco leaves.

One object of the instant invention is to provide a machine of the foregoing character which is of light-weight construction and of such compact size that it may be moved readily from place to place without difficulty, thereby permitting the machine to be used wherever it is needed. In this connection, it is within the purview of the invention to make the machine of lighter Weight construction by employing only a relatively few moving parts, since only a few motions are required, and by reason of the particular feeding means used, the overall length 'may be kept quite short, being approximately only twice the maximum length of lath to be accommodated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine which is economical to manufacture, exceptionally rugged, highly eicient in operation, and one requiring little attention from the operator. Experience has found that many prior art machines, especially those of the hydraulic variety, took too much time for each operation, required tine adjustments and were generally apt to get out of order frequently, whereas a machine constructed according to the present teachings does not possess those limitations.

A further object of the invention is to eliminate any time which would otherwise be consumed in the attaching of a mechanical piercing implement to the lath on which the tobacco is to be strung. Not only is the time obviated which would be consumed in attaching such an implement, but there is no need for checking to see that the piercing instrument remains in operative position during the impaling procedure. Still further, there is, of course, no necessity for detaching any spear member after the piercing operation, an act required in some prior art arrangements. More specifically, it is an aim of the invention to pierce the tobacco stalks with spearing means actuated independently of the lath, the spean'ng means, after penetration of the stems forming a series of openings of sufcient size so that the lath may be fed therethrough.

A further object of the invention is to feed the lath in such a synchronized manner with the spearing or impaling means that the foremost end of the lath will not reach the first stalk of tobacco until after each spearing means has fully penetrated its particular stalk.

A still further object of the invention is to employ a series of cooperable spearheads arranged in a tandem 2,713,427 Patented July 19, 1955 ICC Another object of the invention is to provide tobacco plant positioning or keeper assemblies of such character that stems of different sizes may be readily accommodated yet accurately and securely positioned for the impaling and hanging operations.

Other objects will be in part obvious, and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view depicting the parts of the machine as they appear immediately after the tobacco plants have been positioned for a piercing or impaling operation;

Figure 2 is an elevational view corresponding to Figure l;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view prior to the introduction of the tobacco plants to the keeper assemblies;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken in the direction of lines 4 4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional View taken in the direction of lines 5 5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a view taken in substantially the direction of lines 6 6 of Figure 3; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary elevational view of the lath feeding mechanism.

Referring first to Figures l and 2, the apparatus there depicted includes a chassis 1t) equipped with a pair of front wheels 12 and a single rear wheel 14. In this exempliiied embodiment selected for illustration, a suitable motor 16 is mounted on the chassis 10 and by reason of a main belt 18 and an auxiliary belt 20, a clutch 22 is driven by said motor 16, there being an actuating lever 24 for engaging and disengaging the clutch 22. By Virtue of an additional belt 26, the clutch 22 iS utilized in driving the rear wheel 14 in order to propel the machine so that it can be moved from one location to another.

Mounted at a convenient elevation above the ground is a tubular frame or superstructure 28 supported on the chassis 10 and extending laterally from the frame is a series of brackets 30 spaced one above the other, these brackets serving to support a plurality of tobacco positioning assemblies bearing the reference numeral 32. The various assemblies or keepers 32 are arranged in two vertically spaced rows, the assemblies of each row being longitudinally spaced relative to each other in order to space the tobacco plants at suitable intervals for proper drying. Each assembly is composed of a pair of cooperable L-shaped members 34 and 36, and the member 34 may be sheathed in rubber if desired to prevent damage to the stalk it is intended to engage, whereas the other member 36 is equipped with a pair of intersecting coil springs 38 encased within rubber tubes 4t), Of course, if preferred, eXible rubber strips 0r other intersecting yieldable members could be substituted for the springs 38, in which instance the tubes 40 could be dispensed with. As may best be seen from Figure 3, the cooperable L-shaped members produce opposed apeXes 4Z and 44, the apex 44 being formed by the crossing of the springs 3S, and, by virtue of respective pivot pins 46 and 48, each L-shaped member 34 and 36 is rendered individually pivotal relative to the bracket supports 38. The L-shaped member 34 has mounted thereon an upstanding post or lug Sil engageable with the bracket 30 to limit pivotal movement thereof in one direction when the apex 42 is in alignment with the pins 46 and 48.

The operation of the L-shaped members 34 and 36 is believed readily apparent from the description given in the preceding paragraph. All that is necessary for the operator to do with respect to each set of L-shaped members is to hold a stalk of tobacco vertically within the apex 44 of the vertically spaced members 36 of any one set and press the stalk in such a direction that the L-shaped members 36 are pivoted clockwise to provide entry of the stalk within the confines of the apex 42 of the other L-shaped member 34, both members 34 then pivoting until their pivotal movement is arrested by the post 50 engaging the bracket 3) to which the particular member 34 is connected. Owing to the resiliency of the intersecting springs 38, it will be apparent that these springs are capable of yielding sufliciently in order to accommodate stems of varying sizes. Also, the springs or other yieldable members 33 actually enwrap an arcuate section of the stalk, which together' with the two-point contact established by the cooperablc member 34 provides a firm grip on each stalk and avoids s,

any tendency for the stalks to twist during the impaling thereof. As will presently be better understood, the pins 46 and 48 are mounted so that the stalks of tobacco will be held in proper alignment for the following irnpaling operation.

Turning now to the impaling mechanism, which has been designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 54, it will be observed that this impaling mechanism includes a pair of channeled spearheads 56 and 58 which cooperate with each other when together to cut or pierce out a rectangular section of the tobacco stem. From Figure 2 it will be seen that these cooperable spearheads 56 and 58 are movable between pairs of tobacco positioning assemblies 32 which are spaced one above the other. Inasmuch as the tobacco positioning assemblies 32 are also arranged in tandem fashion in order to accommodate a series of successively spaced stalks, it will be quite apparent that a pair of spearheads 56 and 58 is employed in conjunction with each vertically spaced pair of assemblies 32. Continuing with the description of the impaling mechanism, however, it is to be noted that each Spearhead 56 and 58 is carried at the end of an arm 60, the upper arms being affixed to a rockshaft 62 and the lower arms being similarly connected to a second or lower rockshaft 64. By reason of a plurality of bearing numbers 66, the rockshafts 62 and 64 are rendered not only pivotal but are also journaled for longitudinal sliding movement with respect to the frame 28.

In order to produce simultaneous pivoting of the rockshafts 62 and 64 in opposite angular directions, a pair of meshing pinions 68 and 70 is employed, one on each end of the two rockshafts. To bias the co operable spearheads 56 and 58 toward each other, a tension spring 72 is secured to the respective hubs of the pinions 68 and 78, and the spring in this way assures that the spearheads 56 and 58 will be together during the impaling or piercing procedure. However, as will presently be clarified, it is necessary to have the cooperable spearheads 56 and 58 separate in order to effect removal of the lath after the impaling operation has been completed, and to achieve this end a cam block 76 is attached to the tubular frame 28, this cam block having a sloping face 73 as shown in Figure 6. Mounted on the rockshaft 64 is a follower' arm 80 which projects radially from the shaft and extends into an overhanging or interengaging relationship with the cam block 76 whereby the end of the follower arm 8f) will be caused to ride upon the sloping face 78 when the arm is moved into juxtaposition with said cam block 76. As best viewed in Figure 4, the follower arm 80 is raised by this course of action and, due to its fixed relationship with the rocket shaft 64, the lower spearhead 58 is moved downwardly and by virtue of the enmeshed condition of the pinions 68 and 7) the other Spearhead 56 is moved upwardly to effect sufficient separation whereby the lath can be removed. As previously alluded to, this need will become more apparent as the description progresses.

For producing longitudinal movement of the impaling mechanism 54, a thrust bar 82 is provided having a forked or bifurcated end 84 which is connected to a bearing block 85 rotatably receiving the ends of the rockshafts 62 and 64. The thrust bar 82 is mounted for longitudinal reciprocation by a series of bearing members 86 secured to the tubular frame 23. However, in contrast with the mounting of the rockshafts 62 and 64, there does not need to be any pivoting of the thrust bar 82 as its sole function is to transmit longitudinal movement to the roekshafts 62 and 64. To aid in effecting longitudinal movement of the thrust bar 32 a two-way pivotal latch 88 is utilized, this latch being pivotally connected to the thrust bar by means of pin 89, and carried by the pivotal latch 88 is a pair of integral dog elements 9i) and 92 which are selectively engageable with a transfer drive plate 94 connected to a member subsequently to be described. Biasing the latch 88 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in either Fig. 2 or 3, is a spring 96. ln order to move the iatch countenclockwise as viewed in these two figures, such movement overcoming the action of the spring 96, a latch actuator 98 is surmounted above the latch and includes a lever handle 100 pivotally connected to the frame or superstructure 28 and biased in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 5 by a spring 101. A contact shoe 1122 is pivotally suspended from the lever handle 16) and thus serves as the means for effecting engagement and movement of the latch 88 in a counter-clockwise direction, as noted above.

ln this way it will be seen that, when the transfer drive plate 94 is moved in a forward direction, that is, to the left as viewed in these above-mentioned figures, then once the lever handle 108 has been depressed to cause engagement of the dog on the latch 88 with the forward end of the plate 94, the thrust bar 32 together with the rockshafts 62 and 64 will be urged forwardly to produce an impaling operation of those stalks contained within the keepers or tobacco positioning assemblies 32. Of course the forward propulsion of the rockshafts will cause the follower arm Si) to be disengaged from the cam block 76 so that the pointed spearheads 56 and 58 will come together and produce the desired cutting action upon the various stalks held in alignment therewith, whereby the lath can be freely and easily inserted through the openings or eyes formed by the channeled configuration of these cooperable spearheads 56 and 58.

The lath feeding mechanism bears generally the numeral 164 but, before describing the actual feeding mechanism, it should be pointed out that the lever handle has attached thereto a cable 186 which extends to a clutch 168, this clutch being driven by the motor 16 and serving to transmit via a belt 110 power from a pulley 112 rotated by the clutch 108 to a second pulley 114 which is affixed to a crankshaft 116 carrying a counterbalanced eccentric or crank element 118. A connecting link 120 in turn transmits power from the crank to a crosshead member 122. In this manner it will be seen that the ro tary motion produced by the motor 16 is translated by way of the clutch 188 and the crankshaft 118 into reciprocatory motion at the locus of the crosshead 122.

The rectilinear motion of the crosshead 122 is transferred to a slide block 124 to which the drive plate 94, previously referred to, is secured, there being a pair of connecting rods 126 extending between the crosshead member 122 and the slide block member 124. Both the crosshead and slide block are guided in a rectilinear path by means of a track 128. As may be seen from an inspection of Fig. 5, the track 128 is provided with opposite grooves into which complementary tongues on the slide block 124 extend. Similarly, the crosshead member 122 is equipped with tongues which extend into these same grooves. By reason of the foregoing construction the slide block 124, when reciprocated, serves not only to actuate the impaling mechanism 54 but additionally serves the oice f actuating the feed mechanism 104 which advances the lath in such manner that it will be inserted into the openings formed by the respective spearheads 56 and 58. To effect this end, a gripping device 130, which is articulative in its operation, is employed as part of the feeding mechanism 104, comprising a pair of jaw members 132 pivotally mounted on a slide member 134, the slide member in turn being connected to the previously mentioned slide block by virtue of connecting links 135.

Due to the gripping device 130, a lath which is intended to have one of its edges rest in sliding engagement on the upper side of the track 128, is caused to be moved relative to the track owing to the gripping action produced by the jaw members 132. To aid in the guiding of the lath toward the various stalks contained by the positioning assemblies 32, the crosshead 122, the slide block 124 and the gripping device 13) are configured so that the lath is held in an upstanding lengthwise position as it is being fed.

Reference to Figure will show the specic way in which the sliding block 124 is designed to aid in the guiding of the lath, the crosshead 122 being similarly configured.

l While the complete operation of the machine is felt to be apparent from the preceding description, nonetheless it should be understand that the stalks of tobacco which are to be hung on a lath are manually inserted into the tobacco positioning assemblies or keepers 32 and are retained by these keepers in alignment with the cooperable spearheads 56 and 53. Although any reasonable number of assemblies 32 may be employed, for the purpose of illustrating the invention a total of six pairs has been shown in Figure l. By having the L-shaped members 34 and 36 of each pair spaced one above the other, it will be perceived that each stalk is securely gripped at two spaced vertical locations and thus the assemblies 32 are capable of preventing undue distortion or deection of the individual stalks or stems as the impaling procedure is carried out.

Once having inserted the stalks into the assemblies or keepers 32, the lever handle 160 is depressed which not only engages the clutch 108 but also causes the contact shoe 1&2 to pivot the two-way latch 38 in a counterclockwise direction thereby engaging the dog 90 with the forward edge of the transfer drive plate 94. Due to the fact that the clutch S is drivingly connected to the crankshaft 116, the rotation of the crankshaft causes reciprocation of the crosshead 122 and such reciprocation is transmitted from the crosshead to the slide block 124. Since the plate 94 is integral with the slide block 124, any movement of the slide block causes the drive plate 94 to be moved also. As the drive plate is moved forwardly (to the left as viewed in the various drawing figures), the engagement of the dog 90 in turn moves the thrust bar 82 forwardly and the thrust bar 82 being connected with the rockshafts 62 and 64 causes these rockshafts to be moved likewise in a forward direction. This forward movement of course results in the follower arm 80 riding down the sloping face '7S of the cam block '76, which action causes the cooperable spearheads 56 and S8 to come together, it being remembered that the spring '72 effects contact between the cooperable spearheads whenever the cam block 76 is not instrumental in overcoming the biasing action of this spring 72.

Due to the pointed configuration of the spearheads as seen from Figures 3 and 6, a piercing action is produced as they come into engagement with the variousstalks held by the keepers 32. Sufficient travel of the respective spearheads S6 and SS is assured by properly designing the stroke of the crosshead 122 so the piercing or impaling is completed on the first forward movement of the crosshead 122. When the crosshead 122 is withdrawn or retracted, the spearheads 56 and 58 do not follow for the reason that only the foremost dog 90 is at this time in engagement with drive plate 94, the rear dog 92 being raised into a non-engaging relationship with the plate so that, as the plate is moved rearwardly on the first and subsequent return strokes of the crosshead 122, there is no tendency for the spearheads 56 and 58 to be withdrawn from the various stalks of tobacco they have pierced.

Concurrently with the forward movement of the impaling mechanism 54 there is a forward feeding of the lath gripped by the device 130, that is, the forward part of the entire feed mechanism 104. The forward end of the lath, however, is initially spaced su'iciently from the nearest or first stalk of tobacco so that it does not reach that stalk until after the impaling action has been completed. Actually, the lath is fed in incremental steps inasmuch as the feeding mechanism, due to its articulated construction, grips the lath only as the feeding mechanism is urged forwardly, there being no gripping of the lath as the mechanism is moved rearwardly. Accordingly several revolutions of the crankshaft may have transpired before the feeding mechanism 104, through its intermittent or incremental gripping of the lath, causes the front end of the lath to reach the rst stalk of tobacco. When the forward end of the lath has reached the rst stalk, then of course the cooperable spearheads 56 and 58 have produced their desired piercing of the irst stalk and, owing to the channeled configuration of these spearheads, ample clearance is provided for the free insertion of the lath through the iirst encountered stalk. Subsequent feeding steps of course continue to advance the lath in a forward direction and shortly the second stalk is encountered, but since all of the channeled spearheads 56 and 58 have been operated in unison, no interference is encountered at the second stalk for the opening existing between the second set of spearheads 56 and 58 permits vthe unrestricted insertion of the lath at this location, too. Similarly, the feeding of the lath is permitted to continue until the lath has been moved completely through all of the tobacco stalks, the spearheads guiding and supporting the moving lath lduring this feeding period.

In actual practice, the impaling and the feeding actions occur in such rapid succession that the tobacco is hung very quickly on a lath and is then ready for removal. When the lathing operation has been completed, all that is necessary for the operator to do is to release the level handle 106, and, by virtue of the spring 101, the handle is returned to the position pictured in Figure 5. The return of the handle to this position permits the spring 96 to pivot the latch 88 in a clockwise direction which causes the dog 92 to engage the rear edge of the transfer drive plate 94, thus causing the drive plate to retract the impaling mechanism thereby withdrawing the various spearheads 56 and 58 from the stalks of tobacco in which they have remained during the lath feeding portion of the cycle. in this way the stalks of tobacco remain in spaced position upon the lath and the lath with the tobacco plants retained thereon can be easily removed from the machine due to the fact that the retraction of the impaling mechanism concoinitantly causes the spearheads 56 and 58 to become separated because of the reengagement of the follower arm SG with the cam block 76, the follower arm in this way rotating the lower rockshaft 64 in a direction to cause the Spearhead 58 to move downwardly, and by virtue of the meshed relation between the pinions 68 and 70, the other Spearhead 56 moves upwardly. Since all of the spearheads are attached or supported at the ends of arms di) carried on the two rockshafts, all of the spearheads open simultaneously. After full retraction of the impaling mechanism, all that the attendant has to do is merely grasp the tobacco-laden lath and pull the lath toward him, the various L-shaped members 34 and 36 of the assembly 32 readily releasing the grip they have had upon each individual stalk during the impaling and lath feeding operation. Upon removal of the tobacco-laden lath, then of course the machine is immediately ready for another lathing operation and the process of introducing new tobacco stalks into the assemblies 32 is repeated.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in u limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, is a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

i. claim:

l. A tobacco lathing machine comprising respective means for positioning a plurality of tobacco stalks in spaced succession, impaling means including a i separable piercing members arranged adjacent t tioning means and movable relative thereto to piercing operation, said separable members io ning an opening extending axially therethrough when said members are contiguous each other, and means for inserting a lath through the series of openings formed by said piercing members while said members are in a stalk penetrating relation.

2. A tobacco lathing machine comprising respective means for positioning a plurality of tobacco stalks in spaced succession, impaling means including a pair of separable piercing members arranged adjacent each positioning means and movable relative thereto to perform a piercing operation, said separable members being channel-shaped to form an opening extending axially therethrough when said members are together, and means for inserting a lath through the series of openings formed by said piercing members while said members are in a stalk penetrating relation.

3. A tobacco lathing machine comprising respective means for positioning a plurality of tobacco stalks in spaced succession, impaling means including a pair of separable piercing members associated with each positioning means, means for reciprocating said piercing members toward and away from the positioning means, means associated with said reciprocating means for bringing the piercing members together as said members are moved toward the positioning .means and for separating the members as said members are moved away from said positioning means, said separable members being channel-shaped to form an opening extending axially therethrough when said members are together, and means for inserting .th through the series of openings formed by said piercing members while said members are in a stalk penetrating relation.

4. A tobacco lathing machine comprising respective means for positioning a plurality of tobacco stalks in spaced succession, a Jair of rockshafts mounted for longitudinal and pivotal movement relative the positioning means, an arm affixed to each rocfshaft adjacent each positioning means, a channeled piercing member attached to the free end of each arm, said channeled piercing members being arranged with their channeled sides opposed so as to form an opening extending axially therethrough when said members are together, means for rotating said rockshafts in opposite directions to open and close said piercing members, and means for inserting a lath through the series oi:` openings formed by said piercing members. while said members are closed and in a stalk penetrating relation.

5. A tobacco lathing machine comprising respective means for positioning a plurality of tobacco stalks in spaced succession, a pair of rockshafts mounted for longitudinal and pivotal movement relative the positioning means, an arm aiiixed to each rocker arm adjacent cach positioning means, a channeled piercing member attached to the free end of each arm, said channeled piercing member being arranged with their channeled sides opposed so as to form an opening extending axially there- .lli

through when said members are together, spring means biasing said rockshafts in one rotative direction, cam means disposed to overcome said spring bias and rotate said rockshafts in an opposite direction as said rockshafts are moved longitudinally whereby said piercing members will 'oc moved into open and closed positions to perform a piercing operation when closed and to permit subsequent removal of a lath when open, and means for inserting the lath through the series of openings formed by said piercing members while said members are closed and in a stalk penetrating relation.

6. A tobacco lathing machine comprising respective means for positioning a plurality of tobacco stalks in spaced succession, a pair of rockshafts mounted for longitudinal and pivotal movement relative the positioning means, an arm affixed to each rockshaft adjacent each positioning means, a channeled piercing member attached to the free end of each arm, said channeled piercing members being arranged with their channeled sides opposed so as to form an opening extending axially therethrough when said members are together, means for rotating said rockshafts in opposite directions to open and close said piercing members, reciprocable feed means for advancing a lath step by step through the series of openings formed by said piercing members while said members are closed and in a stalk penetrating relation, and means connected to said rockshafts including a latch engageable with said feed means for causing longitudinal movement of said rockshafts in either direction to perform selectively a piercing operation or retraction of said impaling means.

7. A tobacco lathing machine comprising two vertically disposed rows consisting of a plurality of pairs of pivotally mounted L-shapcd members, said pairs of members being longitudinally spaced and having their pivot points arranged in a longitudinally aligned manner, a pair of intersecting yieldable elements carried by one member of cach pair of members for resiliently engaging a segment of a tobacco stalk when said stalk is engaged by thc apex of the other member, means for impaling the various stal :s held by said !..-shaped members, and means for feeding a lath through the stalks after impalement thereof.

8. A tobacco lathing machine comprising two vertically disposed rows consisting of a plurality of pairs of pivotally mounted L.shaped members, said pairs of members being longitudinally spaced and having their pivot points arranged in a longitudinally aligned manner, a pair of intersecting coil springs carried by one member of each pair of members for resiliently engaging a segment of a tobacco stalk when said stalk is engaged by the apex of the other member, means for impaling thc various stalks held by said -shaped members, and means for feeding a lath through the stalks after impalement thereof.

9. A tobacco lathing machine comprising a frame, a series of laterally projecting bracket means supported by said frame spaced longitudinally in two rows, one above the other, pairs of cooperable L-shaped members pivotally connected to said various bracket means and rotatable in opposite directions to receive and release tobacco stalks therebetween and therefrom, the pivot points of each row residing in substantially a straight line, resilient means carried by one member of each pair for permitting the accommodation of stalks of different sizes, means disposed in a vertical plane passing through the pivot points of each row for impaling stalks held by said L-shaped members, said impaling means being disposed vertically between said rows, and means for feeding a lath through the stalks after impalement thereof.

l0. A tobacco lathing machine comprising two vertically disposed rows consisting of a plurality of pairs of pivotally mounted L-shaped members, said pairs of members being longitudinally spaced and having their pivot points arranged in a substantially straight line for the accommodation of a portion of a tobacco stalk between the members constituting each pair, impaling means including a pair of separable piercing members arranged between each two vertically disposed pairs of L-shaped members and movable relative thereto to perform a piercing operation, said separable members forming an opening extending axially therethrough when said members are contiguous each other, and means for inserting a lath through the series of openings formed by said piercing members While said members are in a stalk penetrating relation.

l1. A tobacco lathing machine comprising two ver` tically disposed rows consisting of a plurality of pairs of pivotally mounted L-shaped members, said pairs of members being longitudinally spaced and having their pivot points arranged in a substantially straight line, a pair of intersecting yieldable elements carried by one member of each pair f members for resiliently engaging a segment of a tobacco stalk when said stalk is engaged by the apex of the other member, impaling members including a pair of separable piercing members associated with each two vertically spaced pairs of L-shaped members, means for reciprocating said members toward and away from the Lshaped members, means associated with said reciprocating means for bringing the piercing members together as said members are moved toward their positioning means and for separating the piercing members as said members are moved away from said L-shaped members, said separable piercing members being channel-shaped to form an opening extending axially therethrough when said piercing members are together, and means for inserting a lath through the series of openings formed by said piercing members while said members are in a stalk penetrating relation. l2. A tobacco lathing machine comprising a frame, a series of laterally projecting bracket means supported by said frame spaced longitudinally in two rows, one above the other, pairs of cooperable L-shaped members pivotally connected to said various bracket means and rotatable in opposite directions to receive and release tobacco stalks therebetween and therefrom, the pivot points of each row residing in substantially a straight line, resilient means carried by one member of each pair t for permitting the accommodation of stalks of different sizes, a pair of rockshafts mounted for longitudinal and pivotal movement relative to the frame and said cooperable L-shaped members, an arm axed to each rock shaft adjacent each two vertically disposed pairs of L-shaped members, a channeled piercing member attached to the free end of each arm, said channeled piercing members being arranged with their channeled sides opposed so as to form an opening extending substantially parallel to said frame when said members are together, means for rotating said rockshafts in opposite directions to open and close said piercing members, and means for inserting a lath through the series of openings formed by said piercing members while said members are closed and in a stalk penetrating relation.

13. A tobacco lathing machine comprising two vertically disposed rows consisting of a plurality of pairs of pivotally mounted L-shaped members, said pairs of members being longitudinally spaced and having their pivot points arranged in a substantially straight line for the accommodation of a portion or a tobacco stalk between the members constituting each pair, a pair of rockshafts mounted for longitudinal and pivotal movement relative to the pairs of L-shaped members, an arm affixed to each rockshaft adjacent each two vertically disposed pairs of L-shaped mem-bers, a channeled piercing member attached to the free end of each arm, said channeled piercing members being arranged with their channeled sides opposite so as to form an opening extending axially therethrough When said piercing members are together', means for rotating said rockshafts in opposite directions to open and close said piercing members, reciprocable feed means for advancing a lath step by step through the series of openings formed by said piercing members while said members are closed and in a stalk penetrating relation, and means connected to said rockshatts including a latch engageable with said feed means for causing longitudinal movement of said rockshafts in either direction to perform selectively a piercing operation or retraction of said impaling means.

14. A tobacco lathing machine comprising a frame, a series of laterally projecting bracket means supported by said frame spaced longitudinally in two rows, one above the other, pairs of cooperable L-shaped members pivotally connected to said various bracket means and rotatable in opposite directions to receive and release tobacco stalks therebetween and therefrom, the pivot points of each row residing in substantially a straight line, resilient means carried by one member of each pair for permitting the accommodation of stalks of dif ferent sizes, a pair of rockshafts mounted for longitudinal and pivotal movement relative to said frame and said pairs of L-shaped members, an arm affixed to each rockshaft adjacent each two vertically disposed pairs of L-shaped members, a channeled piercing member attached to the free end of each arm, said channeled piercing members being arranged with their channeled sides opposite so as to form an opening extending axially therethrough when said members are together, means for rotating said rockshafts in opposite directions to open and close said piercing members, reciprocable feed means for advancing a lath step by step through the series of openings formed by said piercing members while said members are closed and in the stalk penetrating relation, and means connected to said rockshafts including a latch engageable with said feed means for causing longitudinal movement of said rockshafts in either direction to perform selectively a piercing operation or retraction of said impaling means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,429,250 Paylor Sept. 19, 1922 1,530,939 Hawks n Mar. 24, 1925 2,477,068 La MOtte July 26, 1949 2,502,225 Krist Mar. 28, 1950 

